Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

Poetry from Kemet Mawakana
Kemet Mawakana
27 Feb 2008
🖨️ Print Article

7_foot_poet_upright_250wideaka "The Seven-Foot Poet"

 

"FARE" 

 

Our resident poet contemplates the "Fare" that Black folks are required to pay. When you read and hear this week's offering from Kemit Mawakana, you'll get his meaning.

To experience the written or audio versions of FARE, click the link below. 

 

 

 

Poetry from Kemit Mawakana

aka "The Seven-Foot Poet"

To listen to FARE, click the flash player below
{mp3}poetry/072Fare{/mp3} 

Fare

1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . . 14  . . . 15 . . . 16

A pariah!

Leprosy radiates my skin;

serving as a warning to natives and foreigners alike.

17 . . . 18 . . . 19 . . . 21 . . . 22 . . . 23

Death unto those that dare acknowledge my presence!

My invisibility clear to all who would dare look with a naked eye.

24 . . . 25 . . . 26 . . . 37 . . . 38 . . . 39

Hate, anger and vengeance swell up within,

breaking fences of common sense.

None of them - not one of them - None of them are bound by decency!

41 . . . 42 . . . 47 . . . 48 . . . 49

They hate the fact that me they only loathe and not despise.

They anxiously accelerate to save a business suit from my pursuit,

And the unspeakable acts that I perpetrate.

. . . 51.

Exhausted.  I'm home, no longer mad.

Clearly it's not fair - that I was passed up by 51 taxicabs.

 
Copyright 1996
 
Peace (when appropriate) War (when necessary)

Kemit Mawakana (aka "The Seven-Foot Poet") is a highly acclaimed spoken-word artist, and has published two books A . . . Z . . . Infinity and Crucifixion of My Soul.  The collective body of his works presented weekly in BAR are in tribute to Listervelt Middleton, Dr. John Henrik Clarke, and "For The People."  Currently, he is a facilitator at AYA Educational Institute (www.ayaed.com) and can be reached at sevenfootpoet@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

.

 

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


More Stories


  • Janvieve Williams Comrie
    Solidarity Statement: We Demand an End to Deportations in the Dominican Republic
    16 Oct 2024
    The Dominican Republic is deporting Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent at an increasing rate and without any consideration for human rights. AfroResistance calls for all people of…
  • Black Agenda Radio
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio October 11, 2024
    11 Oct 2024
    This week, we discuss efforts in Pennsylvania to end the sentence of life in prison without parole for felony murder. Also, we examine Syria and US imperialist policy there and elsewhere. First, we…
  • Map of west Africa
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Solidarity with the Alliance of Sahel States
    11 Oct 2024
    Prudence Iticka and Obioma Ohia recently returned from a delegation that traveled to Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, nations that recently formed the Alliance of Sahel States. They join us to discuss…
  • Abolitionist Law Center
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Ending Life Without Parole, Death by Incarceration, in Pennsylvania
    11 Oct 2024
    Quinn Cozzens joins us to discuss the case of Derek Lee, convicted of felony murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole for a killing he did not commit. Derek Lee is challenging his…
  • Revolutionary Blackout Network Logo
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Syria and Imperialism: A Revolutionary Blackout Network Conversation
    11 Oct 2024
    Margaret Kimberley, Black Agenda Report Executive Editor, was recently a guest on the Revolutionary Blackout Network with hosts Nick Cruse and James Fauntleroy. This is an excerpt of their wide-…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us